title: Noise-induced hearing loss in workers exposed to urban stressors.
abstract: The technological and industrial progress together with the intensification of vehicular traffic and the adoption of new social habits are the cause of an increasing noise pollution with possible negative effects on the auditory system. This study aims to assess the noise exposure levels and the effects on the hearing threshold in outdoor and indoor male workers of a big Italian city. The study was carried out on 357 outdoor male workers, exposed to urban noise and on a control group of 357 unexposed indoor workers. Noise levels were measured in 30 outdoor and indoor areas. The subjects underwent tonal liminal audiometry in order to determine the value of their hearing threshold. During their working activity, outdoor and indoor workers are exposed to different noise levels LEX<80 dB(A). At mid-low frequencies (250-2000 Hz), the results show significant differences in the average values of hearing threshold between the two groups in both ears and for all age classes; there are no significant differences between the two groups at higher frequencies. The outdoor noise levels measured are not usually ototoxic and the hearing loss at mid-low frequencies is not characteristic of the exposure to industrial noise. For these reasons the Authors hypothesize that the results may be due to the combined effect of the exposure to noise and to ototoxic air pollutants. The impairment of speech frequencies is disabling and involves the risk of missed forensic recognition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology, Medical-Legal and the Orthopedics, Unit of Occupational Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 336, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Caciari
authors.forename: Maria Valeria
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Rosati
authors.forename: Teodorico
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Casale
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Loreti
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sancini
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Riservato
authors.forename: Hector A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Nieto
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Frati
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tomei
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tomei
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001299:Audiometry; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006317:Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D016495:Police; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Air pollutants; Hearing loss; Noise; Ototoxicity; Outdoor–indoor workers; Traffic policemen